Ironing machine



June 18, 1957 A. F. WIDIGEN' momma MACHINE Filed Nov. 26, 1954 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR flL'aEnr F M010 ATTORNEYS linited States PatentIRONING MACHINE Albert F. Widigen, Davenport, Iowa, assignor to AmericanMachine and Metals, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of DelawareApplication November 26, 1954, Serial No. 471,274

4 Claims, (Cl. 38-55) This invention relates to flatwork ironingmachines and particularly to a chain drive arrangement therefor.

In ironing machines for ironing flatwork, a plurality of parallel spacedrolls can be located along the bed or frame of the machine. The ironingrolls cooperate with contiguous arcuate shaped heated ironing surfaces,the material to be ironed passing therebetween. It is necessary toprovide for movement of the rolls toward and away from the contiguousironing surfaces. Because of this required movement of the rolls,difficulty has been involved in providing suitable simple drivearrangements.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved andsimple arrangement for driving the rolls of an ironing machine.

In one aspect of the invention, the rolls of an ironing machine aredriven by a tangential chain, said chain engaging sprocket wheelsmounted on each of the shafts carrying the rolls. The supports for therollers are arranged to move vertically in the frame of the machines,there being a yieldable means to urge said rolls toward their respectiveironing surfaces. Retaining means or shoes are provided on each supportfor holding the chain in driving relationship with the sprocketsregardless of the vertical movement of the roll supports as materialpasses along the ironer.

These and other objectives, advantages, and features of the inventionwill become apparent from the following desciption and drawings whichare merely exemplary.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side view of a machine embodying the features of theinvention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of details of the rollmounting means and the chain retaining means, parts being broken awayfor clarity;

Fig. 3 is a view taken in the direction of line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional plan view of an ironer roll showing abearing construction.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view looking in the direction of line 55 of Fig.3.

The invention will be described in conjunction with an ironer of thetype illustrated in Patent No. 1,763,190, issued. June 10, 1930.

Frame of the machine carries the material feed arrangement 11 anddischarge arrangement 12, these being elements which are known in theart. Driving motor 13 is connected by means of belt 14 with the drivewheel 15, drive wheel 15 being carried by shaft 16 mounted in main frame10 of the machine. Sprocket 17 also is fastened to shaft 16, sprocket 17driving chain 13 which operates drive wheel 19 carried on shaft 20 ofthe machine. Shaft 20 also has sprocket 21 connected thereto whichdrives tangential chain 22, chain 22 passing over sprocket 23 and thetake up mechanism including sprocket 24 carried on the spring loadedblock 25, spring 26 urging said sprocket 24 downwardly so as to take upany slack in chain 22. Rods A serve as guides for the block 25.

In the interests of clarity, ironing rolls are not shown but are carriedon shafts 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 and 34, said shafts havingsprockets 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, and 42, attached thereto fordriving the rollers. The rolls have bands carried therebetween andcooperate with appropriately shaped contiguous ironing surfaces 43 whichare heated by suitable arrangements as known in the art.

One of the roll supports 23-33, inclusive, will be described, the othersbeing similar. Sprocket 36 (Fig. 2) is carried on shaft 28, said shaftbeing mounted on bearing block or support 44, support 44 being slidablein slots or apertures 45 of the side frame 46 of frame 10 of themachine.

Springs 47 are adjustably carried in brackets 48 mounted on side frame46. Spring 47 will allow shaft 28 to move upwardly as material is passedthrough the ironer and enters the space between the ironer roll andmating or contiguous ironing surface. In order to insure that the drivechain 22 will be in proper contact with each of the sprockets, asmaterial is passed through the machine, retaining means indicatedgenerally by 50 is mounted by means of bolts 51 (Fig. 3) to bearingsupport 44. Retaining means 50 includes an overhanging arm or shoe 52attached to bracket 52A, said bracket being fastened by bolts 5213 tobearing support 44. The shoe 52 is spaced from sprocket 36 a sufficientdistance to permit the chain 22 properly to engage sprocket 36 and yetnot ride ofi? the sprocket as the rolls move relative to each other.

Each of the sprocket arrangements 28-33, inclusive has a retaining meansas just described. The end sprockets 35 and 42 are carried in verticallymovable roll bearing boxes similar to supports 44 except it is notnecessary to have a retaining shoe means thereon inasmuch as thedirectional lead of the chain is such as to insure proper engagement. Inthe intermediate rolls the directional lead is approximately tangential.As material passes along the ironer, the rolls will move upwardly anddownwardly relative to each other and because of the retaining means,the chain will be kept in proper engagement with the roll drivingsprockets.

In a preferred form sideframe members 46 are vertically movable relativeto frame 10, such being raisable and lowerable by eccentric operatedrods 63 located on each corner, the rods being operable by suitabledrive mechanism. Sprocket 23 preferably is carried by one of the sideframe members 46 so as to be movable therewith as the side frames 46 aremoved to change the adjustment of the ironer rolls. The spring loadedblock 25 will automatically serve to take up slack in the chain and willcompensate for movement of a roll singly or in group.

The sprockets 36 to 42, inclusive, may have a special tooth form toenable locking the chain rollers onto the pitch line by the force of thechain pull. The contour of the tooth faces can be designed to exertforce on the chain so as to produce this elfect to urge the chainrollers toward the axis of the sprocket as the chain roller or elementtends to move radially.

As an example of one manner of providing an improved bearing arrangementfor keeping the chain sprocket in line with the chain, reference may bemade to Fig. 4. Sprocket 35 is mounted on shaft 53, shaft 53 carryingroll 54. Side frame members 55, 56 have slots 57, 58, respectively.Bearing block 59 (corresponding to bearing support 44 of Fig. 3) hasflanges 60 preventing side movement thereof. Taper roller bearings 61,62 are arranged so as to oppose each other and thus maintain axiallocation of the shaft. The bearing block in side frame 56 islongitudinally movable in side frame 56, said block carrying taperroller bearing means 59A.

By this arrangement, when the shaft expands or contracts due totemperature, the sprocket position will not be aifected. been used.

It should be apparent that details of construction can be changedwithout departing from the spirit of the in- Vention except as definedin the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1; In a flatwork ironer, the combination including frame means, aplurality of ironer rollers longitudinally spaced along said ironer,said rolls having bearings on each end thereof and cooperating withironing surfaces mounted on said frame means, material being passablealong said ironer between said rolls and surfaces, supports for saidbearings, means movably mounting said supports on said frame means sothat said rolls can move away from said ironing surfaces as materialpasses through, yieldable means urging said rolls toward said ironingsurfaces, sprocket means connected to each of said rolls, chain meansextending along said sprockets for driving the same, driving meansconnected to said chain, and retaining shoe means mounted on saidsupports and extending over the sprockets on rolls having tangentialrelationship with said chain, said shoe means being movable with itssupport and being spaced from said sprockets to maintain said chain indriving contact with said sprockets irrespective of movement-of therolls.

2. In a flatwork ironer having concave ironing surfaces and a pluralityof substantially parallel ironer rolls spaced along said ironer, saidrolls moving material along said ironer and into contact with saidironing surfaces, the combination including frame means, bearings oneach end of said ironer rolls, supports for said bearings mounted onsaid frame means, said supports being vertically movable relative to thepassage of material along said ironer, sprockets means connected to eachof said rolls, yieldable means urging said supports in a direction sothat said rolls tend to hold material in contact with said ironingsurfaces as the material passes along the machine in ironing relationthereto, chain means extending along said sprockets for driving thesame, driving means connected to said chain, and shoe retaining meansmounted on said supports where the chain has substantially a tangentialrelationship with the sprocket driven thereby, said shoe means beingcarried on and movable with its support so as to prevent the chain frommoving away from the center of the sprocket involved.

3. In a flatwork ironer having concave ironing surfaces and a pluralityof substantially parallel ironer rolls spaced along said ironer, saidrolls moving material along said In previous devices, sleeve bearingshave ironer and into contact with said ironing surfaces, the combinationincluding frame means, bearings on each end of said ironer rolls,supports for said bearings mounted on said frame means, said supportsbeing vertically movable relative to the passage of material along saidironer, sprocket means connected to each of said rolls adjacent one endthereof, yieldable means urging said supports in a direction so thatsaid rolls tend to hold material in contact with said ironing surfacesas the material passes along the machine in ironing relation thereto,chain means extending along said sprockets for driving the same, drivingmeans connected to said chain, shoe retaining means mounted on saidsupports where the chain hassubstantially a tangential relationship withthe sprocket driven thereby, said shoe means being carried on andmovable with its support so as to prevent the chain from moving awayfrom the center of the sprocket involved, axial movement restrainingmeans connected with said bearings adjacent the ends to which thesprockets are attached, and means slidably supporting the bearings atthe opposite ends of the rolls relative to said frame means.

4. In a fiatwork ironer, the combination including a frame means, aplurality of ironer rolls longitudinally spaced along said ironer, saidrolls having bearings on each end thereof and cooperating with ironingsurfaces mounted on said frame means, material being passable along saidironer between said rolls and surfaces, supports for said bearings,means movably mounting said supports on said frame means so that saidrolls can move away from said ironing surfaces as material passesthrough, adjustable yieldable means urging said rolls toward saidironing surfaces, sprocket means connected to each of said rolls, chainmeans extending along said sprockets for driving the same, driving meansconnected to said chain, and retaining shoe means extending over thesprockets on rolls having tangential relationship with said chain, saidshoe means being movable with its support and being spaced from saidsprockets to maintain said chain in driving contact with said sprocketsirrespective of movement of the rolls, said shoe means includingbrackets connecting it to its related support.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,378,795 Johnston May 17, 1921 1,513,012 Schey Oct. 28, 1924 2,044,158Dunlop June 16, 1936 2,584,598 Leisenring Feb. 5, 1952

